Has anyone had any experience with the "Stack & Tilt" golf swing recently...Can it be implemented just for short irons and wedge play?

Bill H.

Are you out there? Would like a little of your expertise.

Selftaughtman

I was looking at some of the videos and commentary on this technique. One note made was that if you struggle with an outside to in swing, this methodology will not work for you. They seemed to feel that it was for "better" players who tend to hang back at impact. Another note was that it can put a bit more stress on your lower back due to the angle of rotation.
All that to say...I am trying to incorporate one aspect of this, in that I am working hard to keep my head centered over the ball and focus on keeping weight over forward leg, since I do have a tendency to "fall away" at impact, which makes for inconsistent contact. I think this swing, if you really want to implement it, needs to be worked on with an instructor to guide you.

So I think it's like the Atkins Diet. It may work for you but to me, it's a gimmick. Have a friend that did this and for about 3 weeks he hit his irons crisp (he said) but then not so much. My belief is the "better" results were because he was more focused on his swings trying to implement something, but I'm not convinced that the stack and tilt is here to stay. But to answer your question, yes I think you can just use that for irons and wedges.

To me, your best bet is to work on having the correct athletic stance and improve your results that way, rather than the S&T. but that's me. To me the S&T is a band-aid and eventually it's going to break. And when it does, you won't know what to do.

Good feedback...
I'm really, as I said, looking to implement for wedges and short irons. I do believe that only a teaching pro that is well versed in "stack and tilt" should be used. DVD's and infomercials will not get it done.
The golf swing has evolved over the years. But, I'm not totally convinced that it is not a gimmick. I am going to continue to "sniff" it out.

While I wouldn't call the S&T a gimmick, I certainly wouldn't think it would be a swing for amateurs. I think that the simpler you can keep a swing the better the results can be. If you're thinking of spine angles and weight distribution instead of just taking the club back and through and letting the body naturally shift the weight, I think it may be too much for the amateur.

As Aimee mentions though...if you want to work on the S&T, best to have a real life instructor there to teach it.

-Rob

I guess I'm more in the camp of: if you have a solid balanced athletic stance then you've got the core of what you need to a good golf swing. I'm not saying a lot of players couldn't get some immediate improvement from the S&T or aspects of it, but I think that could be sort of short-sighted. Golf is a game you'll invest a life in (or many of us will) so work on sound fundamentals and it will work out but just not over night.

I think the keys are knowing where your elbows need to get to, starting the backswing correctly and staying balanced and in tempo.

I would have to agree. I have seen the video and it really is a band aid. The best way to improve your swing is with a good athletic stance, a good swing path, good rhythm and a lot of practice. I have found when I practice those things I see improvements when I just go out and hit balls I get inconsistency and uncertainty.

ProV, I like you already, no matter what Don say's about you.

Unfortunately a very large number of instructors don't really know how to relate to most of the people they are instructing.

"Teachers" fit in about 4 catagories.

1. Concious competant - They know what they are doing, understand it and they can teach it.

2. Unconcious competant - They can play the game but can't explain it or teach it to someone else. (most of the tour players)

3. Concious incompetant - They know they don't know and fake it by repeating what they read in books, mag articles or overheard in someone's voiced opinion. This results in telling people who don't have a particular problem how to correct it.

4. Unconcious incompetant - They don't have a clue and don't know it. They spread so much B.S. they could fertilize the Great Plains.

Obviously the only one to take lessons from would be number 1.

Now, I wrote all this because many instructors have a tendency to correct swing mistakes with other mistakes. Example: a player has their shoulders open and they slice the ball. So, the instructor has them pull their right foot back and address the ball with a closed stance. Result - they learn to "pull slice" the ball down the fairway.

To me (aren't you happy I'm finally getting to the point of this post?) the stack and tilt method of hitting a ball is nothing more than correcting a mistake with another mistake. Remember, players on tour don't always have it all together. So imagine, here's this good golfer who stays too far behind the ball at impact. Instead of getting them in the right position to accelerate through the ball, their posture and balance is changed to correct the error.

But, also remember, this is just my opinion, which doesn't mean it's right.

What Ron (my crusty old teacher) said about it: "This just goes to show, the PGA pros have so much raw talent that they can make any kind of godawful swing work, at least for awhile."

Laney, see if Ron wants to join us at the GGR this year. Be fun to have him around too

and ps, I sent you a couple PM's just in case you didn't see them.

I read somewhere that alot of the pros that went stack and tilt have been giving it up. Its probably like a new putting grip. It works for a little while then fails again.